The Thing With Wings and Fangs
by AutumnMobile12
Summary: Even when the thing with wings and fangs finds you, just remember there's someone to keep you safe deep in the dark.


An orange, crescent moon hung against a black canvas, partly obscured by a deep, dark cloud ambling ominously by. Somewhere in the darkness, the haunting calls of an owl echoed amongst the singing crickets. A breeze sped through the woodland and twirled dancing ebony branches. A colony of bats swept out of their daily shelters and wove between the fluttering golems in their search for juicy moths. Away in the gloomy hills, the lamenting howl of a wolf soared through the night.

Within the confines of the black fortress, a small girl escaped her room and darted along the shadowed corridors. A stealthy creature by nature, her bare feet padded silently against the cool, grey floor cobbles. Though she was an expert at finding her way in the dark, she found herself hesitating before long corridors with no candles to light the way. She eyed the sinister shadows in distrust as her heart thumped apprehensively in her chest. It wasn't far. If she ran, she would be all right.

She sucked in a deep breath of air and leaped forward, sprinting blindly in the black. So far, so good. Everything was going to be fine. A howl outside stabbed her in the back, sending an agonizing chill down her spine. The girl whimpered and curled into a ball against the wall, waiting for the far off cry to cease. She was almost there. Only a few doorways to go.

As soon as it passed, she sprang forth again. Almost there! Almost there! The door she wanted was unadorned, bereft of so much as a nameplate to identify the owner. She grasped the tarnished, iron knob and twisted it clockwise. Poking her head inside, she saw nothing, not even her hand in front of her. Softly calling out to the occupant, she waited for an answer. None came. The girl slipped inside, careful not to catch her nightdress in closing the door. She called again as she felt her way through the darkness. Still, no one replied.

Soft fabric met her small, pale hands and she drew back the squishy comforter and carefully slipped beneath it, curling into a ball against the creases of the white sheet. She covered herself with the blanket and whispered to the body she sensed in front of her.

A noncommittal grunt responded.

Another howl carried on the wind, rattling the cracked window. The girl recoiled and pressed half of her face into a pillow, squeezing her eyes shut in fright. Still, the room's occupant said not a word.

Until there was a long, slow sigh…

And then…

"You read _Dracula_, didn't you?" Came an accusing tone.

Lenalee clamped her mouth shut. Kanda always made it sound like such an embarrassment to be afraid of something. "Well, I…" She floundered, searching for a way to defend herself. Some pitchfork of bravery to stab at his spiteful whip. "I just—"

There was another sigh and the body beside her rolled over so it was facing her. "I don't get why you keep reading that book." Kanda yawned. "All it does is freak you out."

"Well, you know what they say: Know your enemy, right?"

"Che." The mattress creaked in protest as her friend shifted a little. Lenalee heard a slight rustling of thin fingers scraping through long hair, another yawn, and then, "What part did you read tonight?"

"I'm at the part where the wolf came in the house." She answered timidly.

"Ah…_After a while there was the howl again_—"

Lenalee seized up in terror, violet eyes wide. "Kanda, stop that!"

But her friend dropped his voice into a low, mysterious drawl, chilling her bones and making her heart pound in panic, "…_out in the shrubbery, and shortly after there was a crash at the window—_"

"That's not funny!" She squeaked, clutching the comforter in her hands, hiding her face and tucking her feet in as though she expected a cold, deathly white hand with long, tapering fingers to grasp her ankle.

"…_and a lot of broken glass was hurled on the floor. The window blind blew back with the wind that rushed in, and in the aperture of the broken panes there was the head of a great, gaunt gray wolf._" Kanda broke off and smirked at the shivering lump next to him. She was such an easy mark, he thought, jabbing her with his middle and forefinger.

Lenalee screamed and tumbled out of bed, taking the comforter with her and landing in a heap on the floor. "Don't do that, Kanda, it isn't funny…" She whimpered, covering herself and shaking in terror. "I know I'll have nightmares now."

"Oh, come off it." Kanda slid off the mattress to crouch in front of her, long hair hanging in his face like a black curtain. "That's not even the scariest part in the book. What about the part where—"

"Don't say it!" She peeked through the blanket. "The Headless Horseman scares you."

"Does not." He retorted, moving to a sitting position and leaning against his bed. "I just don't see how something can move without a head. It's illogical." Combing his hair to the side so it draped over his left shoulder to conceal his black Marking, he asked. "Why didn't you read _King Arthur _or _Alice in Wonderland_ like you normally do."

"It's October." She answered, as though that explained everything.

Kanda narrowed his eyes dubiously and tugged at the comforter mound Lenalee had made of herself. "Come on, I'm cold." Lenalee anchored the blanket to the stone floor. He sighed. "Vampires aren't real, duckling. Even if they were, wouldn't you be able handle yourself? You fight demons all the time."

"If you're bitten by a vampire, you'll turn into one."

"If you're shot by an akuma, you turn to dust." Kanda crouched on his hands and knees and pulled at the blanket until he could see the poor girl's face. "Who's your favorite character in _Dracula?_"

"Quincey." Lenalee answered after a moment.

Kanda nodded. "Quincey, huh."

"What about you?"

"That's easy. Mina."

Lenalee lifted her head a little. "Why Mina?"

"That's easy, too." He scooted somewhat closer to her. "Remember her first encounter with the Count?" Lenalee nodded, swallowing painfully. "Was she scared?" Lenalee nodded again. "And what about the next day? Was she scared she might become a vampire?"

"Yes."

"So scared she couldn't do anything?"

Lenalee tilted her head slightly. "Well, no. She was cheerful and she supported the others as best she could."

"Exactly. So it's okay to be afraid of something. But it's not letting that fear overcome you that's important." Kanda brushed a hand against her cheek. "Besides, it's only a story and Dracula's only a fictional character. So there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Unless vampires are real."

"I highly doubt that." He rose to his feet and sat down on his bed. "Think I can have my blanket back? I'm freezing."

Lenalee stood and spread the comforter out across the bed and clambered back under it. "But if they are real and I find one, you'll help me defeat it, right?"

"What if it's a bumbling crybaby?"

"Okay, that would be just mean. But if it's evil, you'd help me?"

Kanda rolled his eyes and dropped onto the mattress next to her. "Why not?"

Author's Notes: I'll let you be the judge on how old they are. And, yes, the passage Kanda quoted is indeed from Bram Stoker's _Dracula_.

Inspired by Lenalee's implied fear of vampires. And the fact I recently read _Dracula_.

D. Gray Man belongs to Katsura Hoshino.


End file.
